Ingredients for roasted chickpeas.
Mark Guydish | for Abington Journal
Close to effortless and easily adapted to taste, some chickpeas with a little seasoning and oil roast into a tasty side with a bit of crunch.
Mark Guydish | for Abington Journal
MT came into our marriage already a big fan of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), while they were a nigh non-existent part of my diet. As happened with many other foods and recipes she brought to the union, I became a pretty big fan, to the point where I’m happy to experiment with the versatile legume, in part because we often have a lot of cans around the house (bought on sale, of course).
This one appealed because of both the spice blend and the notion of roasting them alone as a side dish. It’s very easy, very adaptable to taste, and very suitable as a companion for a broad array of entrees. The roasting gives a hint of a crunch and a firmer appearance standing alone in a bowl, while the spices give it a darker hue, which I found more appealing than the the pale color chickpeas have fresh out of the can or cooked in most other ways.
I have two tips, one big, one minor.
The recipe calls for doing everything on the rimmed sheet once the beans are oven-dried: Add oil and salt, bake, then add the spices. I opted to put the dried beans in a bowl to add salt and oil before returning them to the sheet, and put the roasted beans in a bowl to add the spices. I figured it’s much easier to ensure even coating both times in a bowl rather than on a flat sheet.
And I used fine-grain sea salt rather than kosher. Many won’t notice a difference, but I think it provided a subtle improvement in the final flavor.
Dobru chut!
Roasted Chickpeas (delish.com, Lana Abraham)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Heat oven to 350.° Pour chickpeas onto a baking sheet in an even layer.
Place chickpeas in a heated oven until completely dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove chickpeas from oven and toss with oil and salt. Return to oven and bake until golden brown, dry, and crispy, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Combine chickpeas and seasonings on a sheet tray and toss to combine. Spread into an even layer and let cool completely.
